Last week, Rye News gave readers advance notice about the Tuesday Painters Club annual Exhibition and Sale of Art to be held in the main hall, St Mary’s Centre, Rye. Now with the eagerly-awaited event about to start on 7 August, here is a reminder of the details:
The show runs until 15 August and is open to the public from 10.30am to 5pm daily.
The club is indebted to the highly acclaimed local artist, Richard Adams, whose evocative and individual work is in demand world-wide. Once again, he is generously supporting the club, this time by donating a signed and framed etching as a raffle prize, the proceeds contributing towards the cost of running an eight-day exhibition.
Thirty-six talented members have submitted 104 amazing paintings in all mediums, styles, sizes, subjects, genres and prices and, for the first time, four artists will be setting up their easels in the Small Meeting Room at St. Mary’s Centre, where visitors can meet the artists and talk to them about their art and their techniques. They are:
- Saturday 8 August from 1.45 to 5pm: Vivienne Challans on stitched art.
- Sunday 9 August from 1.45 to 5pm: Mark Fisher works in many mediums, best known for his acrylics and is a well-known local artist and tutor.
- Wednesday 12 August from 1.45 to 5pm: Kerry Bennett, whose forte is watercolour, is another well-known local artist and tutor.
- Sunday 15 August from 1.45 to 5pm: Mike Funnell, who is popular for his magnificent landscapes in acrylic, yet another local artist and tutor.
As they carry on with work in progress during their sessions, visitors will have the opportunity to see even more of these four artists’ work on display and sale in the small meeting room.
The winner of the Promo Competition
Also taking pride of place this year, will be the work of Lisa Kossuth, the winner of this year’s Promo Competition judged by Richard Adams. Lisa spoke about her work recently and progression so far:
“My journey into art began at a very young age, sketching the horses on our family farm – drawings I like to think they might have recognised. I have spent most of my life living near Rye in East Sussex, a landscape that continues to shape and inform my work.
“Life eventually led me in other directions – travelling widely and building a career—and art was set aside for several decades. It was during the Covid pandemic, when I was unable to work as a therapist, that I rediscovered my love of drawing and painting.
“I now work from a small desk in my kitchen, thoughtfully built by my husband – perhaps with the intention that I might occasionally cook and paint at the same time, which I have been known to do. Reconnecting with my long-standing passion for nature and wildlife, I went on to create a series of wildlife pieces, exhibited as part of the South East Open Studios from 2021 to 2023.
“More recently, the focus of my work has shifted towards exploring our relationship with the natural world – from close observation of wildlife to more interpretive responses to landscapes and habitats.
“Currently, I am working on semi-representational landscapes, primarily using acrylic paint and mixed media on paper. Through layered marks, textures, and occasional fragments of writing, I aim to capture not just the visual image but the emotional resonance of a place. Central to my work are coastal and shoreline environments – those meeting points between land, sea, and sky – where I explore contrast, space and the shifting relationship between hard and soft elements. My process is intuitive and exploratory, allowing each piece to evolve organically so that it finds its own balance between observation and expression.
“Influenced by early memories of living in the Mediterranean, as well as later travels, my work is rooted in a strong sense of place. I hope each painting evokes a genuine response, holding a sense of atmosphere, memory, or feeling that invites reflection and connection.
“I have previously exhibited with South East Open Studios and The Avocet Gallery at Rye Harbour, East Sussex.”
Image Credits: Mark Fisher , Mike Funnell , Kerry Bennett , Lisa Kossuth .